Our Worship

As we close out our second Advent week, let’s position ourselves like the other voice mentioned in Isaiah 40:6b. This voice in the second part of this verse says, “What should I call out?” As we worship today, keep in mind this similar voice inside of you asking God, “What do you want my life to proclaim?” and hear His answer.

Isaiah 40:6-8 Common English Bible (CEB)

126 When the Lord changed Zion’s circumstances for the better,it was like we had been dreaming.6 A voice was saying:
“Call out!”
And another[a] said,
“What should I call out?”
All flesh is grass;
all its loyalty is like the flowers of the field.7 The grass dries up
and the flower withers
when the Lord’s breath blows on it.
Surely the people are grass.8 The grass dries up;
the flower withers,
but our God’s word will exist forever.

Our Longings

What are you bringing to this prayerful time with God today (worries, hopes, fears, etc.)?

What are you sensing about your biggest desire? Now that we are nearly halfway through this Advent season, consider putting to paper what your biggest desire for His coming is. Write it down and begin to pray about it daily.

Allow yourself whatever time is necessary here in prayer to get in touch with this deep longing of your soul while allowing God to speak.

Today, let me ask you a question: When is the last time you’ve been in the wilderness?

I don’t necessarily mean when you last went to the outback of Australia. I mean, when is the last time you’ve disengaged from your hectic, to do list-driven world?

Along with the images of a garden and a river, scripture often paints an image of God’s people being in a wilderness or desert area.

We find nearly 300 mentions of this word, or words like it in scripture. The Hebrews wandered in it, looking for the Promised Land and finding quail and manna instead. Elijah heard a small voice, so small it was described as “still.” Jesus was tempted in the wilderness.

I remember the first time I went to the Sandhills of western Nebraska. I wanted to know what it was like to experience a world without technology, to feel what life was before cars and planes and iPhones and Keurigs.

What does silence sound like?

I randomly picked a road, then another, made a few turns and the roads went from concrete, to blacktop, to gravel, and eventually I found myself lost, with no cell phone signal, in the middle of nowhere.

It was perfect.

The gravel crunched under my feet as I got out to take it all in. It took me awhile to notice how silent and still everything was. I looked skyward to find the familiar chemtrails, evidence of flying human sardines speeding to more civilized places, but there was only uninterrupted cobalt overhead.

Even the likely long ago bare-hands made farmhouses and barns I would see about every four or five miles had given way to tidal grasses once my rubber hit the gravel about four turns ago.

There wasn’t even a fence in sight, which made sense, because this didn’t feel like a place that could be owned.

Besides my car, and the gravel road standing through these grassy waves like a man-made pier, there was no evidence anyone had ever been here.

As I look back on this memory, what most surprised me was how long it took me to notice the silence. It wasn’t as if there were any sounds to be heard anyway because the gentle breeze rhythmically moving around my cheeks and calling awake the hairs on my arms was really the only noticeable sound as it swayed through the proud grasses.

And my hearing problem wasn’t because I had to first let go of all the modern-day sounds I had carried into this place. No, I wasn’t hearing my anxieties, I didn’t have a song stuck in my head, and there wasn’t an internal voice – like there is on most days still – reciting a to do list and loudly reminding me of my inability to ever get it done because of my many weaknesses.

There wasn’t a soundtrack playing in my head preventing me from hearing the silence.

The problem was, my ears weren’t tuned right. I didn’t know what silence sounded like. And it was therefore a profoundly lonely experience!

And then it wasn’t.

As I stood there, alone, I slowly realized I was feeling and living and experiencing the Sandhills of Nebraska.

The silent breeze was still the only sound revealing itself as it whooshed into the tunnel of my ear. I could also hear it in the response of the grasses to its touch.

But the rest was unrevealed silence.

And it was in this silence that I knew everything made sense, knew I existed. I could feel myself and God. This silence was felt more than heard. It was surprisingly relational.

God reveals Himself in the silence

I think we find this wilderness theme scattered through the stories scripture has preserved because it’s impossible to hear the silence when we are surrounded by noise. It’s impossible to feel belonging when we are surrounded by things that don’t belong.

I didn’t hear God that day. I only heard nature giving up His hiding place.

I didn’t hear God, but I knew He was there…with me.

Often I question whether God speaks, and I wonder when I think I’ve heard Him if it’s really my voice.

That day made all the difference in the world.

This weekend, is there a way for you to get away to be alone with God in silence?

Intercession

Pray for your spouse, a family member or a close friend to be able to hear God’s voice in the midst of a busy Christmas season.

A Closing Prayer

Lord God,

I pray that You will help me find places in my life where I can escape to the wilderness to hear and feel You. Whether this is a quiet prayer room or an escape to nature, help me find ways to make this a routine rhythm in my life just like when I see Jesus getting away often to be with You.

Amen.

This evening, continue again to worship through Psalm 80:3 as a personal prayer. Return to this often over this Advent season.

About Troy Walling

Troy Walling is the Executive Director and C.O.O. for The Leadership Institute. Troy loves writing about leadership development from a Christian perspective, spiritual formation and the role of spiritual practices therein, and organizational transformation.

Through engaging in scripture and meditation, we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us next to prayerfully intercede for those we love (INTERCESSION) .

We'll close with a suggested closing prayer you can pray along with, or you can use it as a springboard to close in prayer in any way you feel led (CLOSING PRAYER).

We’ll end our time with suggested questions or prayers to keep each day's reflection in mind during your evening prayers, as well as a prompt to start your day with the next morning (THIS EVENING AND TOMORROW MORNING).

You can feel free to utilize these Advent reflections in any way that draws you nearer to God’s presence, engaging only those elements out that seem to challenge you or bring you life. The scripture references will be compiled and listed at the bottom of each reflection (SCRIPTURES FROM OUR ADVENT SERIES) so you can return to them often as we journey together the next four weeks.

It’s a joy to be with you during this Advent season of discovering our true longing for God’s irresistibility!